Zepharos took the containers and tucked them into the pack. He’d been careful every step of the way to not leave anything behind on the trail, or lack of trail, to be more accurate. WhileMaria was pretty much a city girl in the woods, this muscular outdoorsman moved as though he was born for this sort of thing. As it turned out, that wasn’t so far from the truth.
He turned to her, an almost happy look in his eyes. “I come from a very small village. Not tiny, but definitely not a city.”
“And that’s why you’re good at this?”
He laughed. “Not exactly. It’s just that my people, the Oraku, eschew technology.”
Maria stopped and stared.
“What is it? Are you injured?” he asked, concern in his gaze.
“You’re telling me that you live here, on an alien world full of spaceships and incredible gizmos, and you guys choose to be Space Amish?”
“Okay, thatdefinitelydidn’t translate properly.Amish?”
“We have these people on my world who avoid technology too.”
“So, youdounderstand.”
“Yes and no. I mean, it’s just we don’t have space travel, so for them it’s no TV or cars. But here? With all this amazing stuff at your fingertips? This is a whole other level of weird.”
Zepharos shrugged with an amused grin on his face. “I suppose some would see it that way. It’s not the first time I’ve heard it, you know. But I happen to be something of an anomaly among my people.”
“How’s that?”
“For one, you met me at the Husken Games.”
“Right. But that place was packed.”
“Yes, but the Oraku generally keep to themselves and do not leave our lands. I, however, live by my own rules and have traveled far and wide across our world.”
“Have you been to other planets?”
“Well, no. But I do plan to one day. But for now I am contentto visit other cities and meet their inhabitants. It’s how I have learned quite a bit about technology and the ways of other races. Pretty helpful when it comes to getting humans out of cages, I’d say.”
“Yeah, and again, thank you for that. Without you, I’d still be locked up back there.”
She looked behind them, marveling at the ridiculous amount of distance they’d covered. Were the days longer here? Without a watch to check what time it was, she really had no idea. It could have been ten or fifteen hours or more. As tired as she was, she guessed closer to the latter.
Zepharos moved closer and handed her the little pouch. “These are for you. Nutrient dense and containing a healthy amount of sugar for a quick boost of energy.”
“Thank you,” she replied, accepting the offering and popping one into her mouth without hesitation.
The flavor was fascinating. Not exactly like a blackberry, though the texture was similar. There were sweet, floral notes to its juice, and a delicate tartness that snuck up on her as it warmed in her mouth, causing it to water slightly, her own saliva triggering another round of novel tastes when it met the juice.
“These are really good,” she mumbled as she chewed.
“I’m glad you like them. I could see you are in need of a boost for our final push before we stop for the night.”
“Stopping sounds divine.”
“Soon. But we are not in a safe place yet. It is still a little while before sundown, and in addition to providing better shelter, the more distance we can put between ourselves and your former captors, the better. But once the sun sets, we will have no choice but to stop. In other regions, we would push on well into the dark, but in this area it can be a bit treacherous at night.”
Maria felt a slight flare of worry. “Treacherous?”
“Nothing serious. But there are unstable geologic formations. Sinkholes and springs. Easy to avoid in the day, but they can catch your foot at night.”
“I hadn’t noticed any.”
